UPCOMING EVENTS

Lyft is continuing its expansion into 100 new cities this year by launching in 54 more locations today. The on-demand ride hailing service is now available in places like Pensacola, Florida; Springfield, Mass.; Fargo, North Dakota; Iowa City, Iowa; Topeka, Kansas, and more. This makes 94 new markets for Lyft since the beginning of 2017, bringing the service’s total number of cities to nearly 300.

“In just the first two months of 2017, we’ve introduced Lyft to nearly 100 new cities, thanks in large part to today’s launch,” said Jaime Raczka, head of early stage markets and expansion. “We look forward to continuing this rapid momentum, bringing Lyft’s safe, affordable rides to even more cities this year.”

The company described today’s launch as its largest to date, adding that this is the second wave of a “massive expansion” that it’s undertaking. This push is obviously to keep up with the growth of Uber, a competitor that is currently dealing with some controversy and perhaps doing some soul-searching. Many, if not all, of the new markets are already covered by Uber, but riders now have additional options — the timing is certainly coincidence, but might be welcomed by those who support the #DeleteUber campaign.

In January, Lyft announced that it was accelerating its launch pace. At the time, a company spokesperson stated that 2016 was a “strong” year for Lyft — with nearly 163 million rides given, triple the number from the previous year. Lyft now operates in most U.S. states, but it still has quite a way to go to catch up with its omnipresent rival.